Written Answers Nos. 480-492
480. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing dogs named with the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5702/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
481. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing dogs for whom markings were put on their identity book by the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5703/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
482. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of the annual maintenance costs incurred by Coillte for the management of forests under its control; the percentage of these annual maintenance costs covered by income from Coillte's commercial activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5718/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraCoillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred the matter to Coillte for further direct follow-up with the Deputy.
483. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the costs for all mandatory TB tests will be covered by his Department, as opposed to just annual tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5726/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra493. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken by his Department to assist farmers with the transition to increased TB testing; if he will honour a 1990 agreement with farming organisations to fund increased mandatory testing for a period of two years as a transition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5911/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 483 and 493 together.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 introduced new rules for TB testing These new requirements are aimed at reducing the level of transmissible disease in animals, including bovines. They are directly applicable in all EU member states. These new regulations require that for bovine herds to retain or obtain freedom to trade on the open market, that animals moving into them must be tested within a certain time frame.
The requirements are that:
1. All bovines that are moving farm to farm or through a mart must be tested in the previous six months, and
2. They must also be moving from a herd that been tested in the previous six months.
If they do not fulfil both of these requirements, they must be tested, either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.
The majority of animals being moved currently already satisfy these time intervals, so in such cases no additional testing will be required.
Despite this, my Department has worked closely with stakeholders through the TB Forum and its sub-groups to minimise additional costs for farmers and also the taxpayer.
To minimise the administrative burden and costs, my Department has introduced flexibilities in the manner in which these rules are to be applied and has phased their introduction in transitional arrangements designed to allow time to adjust to the new requirements,.
As part of these transitional arrangements, my department will only apply the new pre-movement testing requirements to cows of all ages and to male animals over 36 months of age. Where cows of all ages or males over 36 months have not been tested pre-movement, farmers who purchase these animals will be contacted by my Department advising them of any post movement test requirements. If an animal does not meet the pre-movement TB testing criteria then the animal is restricted to the herd that received it and it is required to have a post movement test within 30 days. If the animal is alive and has not been tested within the 30 days then the herd is restricted.
The farmer now has another 60 days (90 days in total from when the animal moved into the herd) in which to either slaughter or test the animal. The animal can be tested as part of a private test, or as part of any other herd level test as well as Department paid tests.
If the animal is still and has not been tested after 90 days since it moved into the herd then the herd will remain restricted and it will be scheduled for a full herd level test.
In addition, my Department has indicated that subject to certain conditions, it will facilitate herd owners in moving their scheduled annual herd test forwards or backwards, to align the tests with their selling intentions. If a farmer wishes to re-schedule their annual herd test they should contact their Regional Veterinary Office in advance of the due date.
Discussions are currently on-going at the Financial Working Group (a TB Stakeholders Forum working group) about the financing of the programme overall. Ultimately, measures to reduce the incidence of the disease will reduce the cost of the programme to farmers and tax payers.
484. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the forgotten farmers' proposal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5727/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has developed a preliminary outline of a proposal to provide support to the forgotten farmer group. There are a number of issues to be addressed but we are working as quickly as possible to develop a support package for this cohort of farmers who find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own.
485. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the process that has been undertaken since 2020 to December 2022 by the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board to obtain technical advice in relation to oyster licences (details supplied), which are subject of appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5736/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra486. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appeals of licences to cultivate Pacific oysters currently before the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board for decision, disaggregated by the year that the appeal was lodged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5737/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra487. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appeals of licences to cultivate Pacific oysters that the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board has determined in each year from 2010 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5738/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 485, 486 and 487 together.
The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) was established under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 (as amended) and is tasked with the provision of an independent service for the determination of appeals against decisions of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on aquaculture licence applications.
This information requested relates to an operational matter for ALAB and I have requested ALAB to respond directly to the Deputy.
488. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will amend the voluntary permanent cessation scheme to ensure that applicants do not face deductions in their offer amount based on payments they previously received under the Brexit tie-up scheme. [5756/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, I established the Seafood Task Force to examine the implications of the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for the Fishing Industry and Coastal Communities and to consider initiatives and make recommendations to address those implications. The Task Force had among its members representatives from across the seafood sector including Producer Organisations and other fisheries stakeholders. Their participation ensured that the industry shaped the recommendations according to their needs and the difficulties that they faced.
The Task Force report made a specific recommendation in respect of a voluntary permanent cessation scheme. As part of its recommendation, the Task Force also noted that any payments under the Brexit Temporary Cessation Scheme would have to be deducted from the decommission payment. They included this condition due to it being specified in guidance from the EU Commission on permanent cessation. These details were published by the Task Force in its report, Navigating Change, in October 2021.
The Brexit Voluntary Permanent Cessation Scheme was developed based on the recommendation and matched the rates, terms and methodology specified in the Seafood Task Force report. Following a State Aid decision on the scheme by the EU Commission, I announced the scheme in July 2022 along with a budget of €60 million. The scheme was subsequently published by BIM along with all terms and conditions.
Appreciating the significance of the decision any individual fisher would make should they chose to participate in the scheme, the deadline for applications was extended to 18 November 2022. This was to allow time for fishers to evaluate their own circumstances and the terms of the scheme should they voluntarily chose to apply and accept any offer made.
Based on an analysis of the profile of applicants by BIM, in order to ensure all eligible applicants could avail of the scheme if they chose to do so and be awarded the maximum amount possible under the terms of the scheme, I secured additional funding. This increase ensured that all 57 eligible applicants would receive a combined total of almost €75 million in payments should they accept offers made under the scheme.
In order to ensure fairness and transparency to all those who applied for the scheme and for those who did not the Task Force recommendation was adhered to as was EU State Aid guidance. These terms have been transparent from the outset.
489. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulatory impact assessments or any other analyses or assessments that have been carried out in respect of a deal with a company (details supplied) and its impacts on walking and mountain bike trails on Coillte properties. [5779/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraCoillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Minister and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I am, therefore, not in position to comment on any operational issues relating to the establishment of the new investment fund. I will pass these operational queries on the Fund to Coillte for direct response to the Deputy.
490. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the over-population of Sika deer in the Glengarriff area; the steps he plans to take in relation to the issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5833/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister for Housing and I launched a consultation on a National Deer Management strategy for deer before Christmas. The consultation remains open until 10th February. I urge anyone that wants to share their views to do so in the coming days. The consultation is seeking the views of the public on the relative importance of any issues associated with deer, potential solutions and potential barriers to their implementation and how these can be addressed.
The Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by Mr Teddy Cashman, will examine these submissions with a view to direct further discussions with stakeholders in formulating a strategy to manage deer, which will require the input of the various stakeholders. My Department has and will continue provide the leadership in facilitating these discussions. However, the issues of licensing deer culling is an issue for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and not for my Department.
491. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total hectarage of land affected by ash dieback within the State; if such affected hectares are included within national afforestation statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5860/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAsh dieback disease was first found in Ireland in 2012 and is now widespread throughout the country and the rest of Europe. The planting of ash trees ceased in Ireland in late 2012.
The spread and impact of the disease on ash, one of our most important native broadleaves has increased year on year. Surveys in the early years since 2012 showed the rapid spread of the disease. It is now assumed that the disease is present to a greater or lesser extend in every ash plantation in the country.
The National Forest Inventory records that there is currently approximately 24,300 hectares of ash in Ireland. The majority of ash forests are young grant aided ash plantations planted on private property since 1990. Records show that since 1990 a total of 15,897 hectares of ash was planted and paid under the afforestation grant scheme. These statistics remain in the records. On the ground many of these plantations are being replaced by other species under the Departments Reconstitution schemes.
Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has provided support totalling over €8.9 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme (introduced in 2013) and more recently via the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) introduced in July 2020. I have secured a package of €1.3 billion for forestry which will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme to date in Ireland and it is intended to continue to offer a Reconstitution Scheme for ash through the next Forestry Programme which will cover the period from 2023-2027.
492. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when his Department was first provided with the draft guidelines and regulations to state aid in agriculture, forestry and fisheries for 2023 to 2027; if his Department made any submission to the process generally that would have facilitated Coillte accessing State supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5861/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) first received the draft guidelines for the European Commission’s revision of the State aid rules for the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas in January 2022, when they were provided to all Member States.
The European Commission launched a public consultation on these guidelines in February 2022. DAFM published this consultation on gov.ie (www.gov.ie/en/consultation/300eb-public-consultation-on-revised-state-aid-rules-for-the-agricultural-and-forestry-sectors-and-in-rural-areas/) requesting organisations submitting observations/comments to also provide a copy to the Department to help inform our position. DAFM received no comments.
The European Commission also held two meetings in March 2022 and September 2022 to discuss proposals with Member States. As the Deputy may be aware, the Department has submitted comments during this period with a focus on ensuring that these guidelines reflect the best interests of land-owners within Ireland. Please note that the main drivers of the revision of this regulation were to align the State aid rules to the new Common Agricultural Policy (EU) 2021/2115.
The current Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas came into place on 1st January 2023. Further details of the this consultation and development can be located at competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/public-consultations/2022-agri_en. DAFM is now currently working intensively towards securing full State Aid approval for the next Forestry Programme 2023-2027. I note the revised Guidelines have removed explicit references in the related areas to public and private landowners. It is not clear whether this will have any impact on the Court Judgement which precluded Coillte from receiving monetary premia, but DAFM will be making enquires in relation to that matter.
